The NFL Is Asking Halftime Performers To Pay In Order To Play The Super Bowl Halftime Show

(Source) – The National Football League doesn’t usually pay the act that performs at halftime during the Super Bowl. But in a twist this year, the league has asked artists under consideration for the high-profile gig to pay to play, according to people familiar with the matter. The NFL has narrowed down the list of potential performers for the 2015 Super Bowl to three candidates: Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Coldplay, these people said. While notifying the artists’ camps of their candidacy, league representatives also asked at least some of the acts if they would be willing to contribute a portion of their post-Super Bowl tour income to the league, or if they would make some other type of financial contribution, in exchange for the halftime gig. The pay-to-play suggestion got a chilly reception from the candidates’ representatives, these people said.

How cocky and smug do you have to be to walk up to three of the biggest music acts in the world and say, “How much are you willing to pay us for the right to play at our game?” It’s insanity. Most watched sporting event in the country with ad revenue numbers that my mind can’t comprehend, yet they want the artists to pay them to play? Do they also want to charge the athletes a fee to be out on the field? I know this is a weird place to draw my line in the sand but I think I officially hate the NFL now. They’re getting too big for their britches. It started with the concussions, then they’re disregard for common sense in regards to player suspensions pissed everyone else off too, now they’re so arrogant that they’re saying Rihanna has to pay in order to attract a different demographic for them. And to top it all off, even the game sucks. Did anyone actually enjoy last night? At halftime I had to change the channel. The flags were ridiculous. Zero pace of play. MLB is racking their brains trying to shorten the game and the NFL is just like “Eh, fuck it. Let’s play for 5 hours. They’ll still watch.” I hate everything about them, right down to Goodell’s stupid face. And yes, if we’re being honest I will still be sitting on the couch on Sunday. But more and more people are talking about their disdain for “The Shield” and eventually that cup will runeth over.